It has to be meaningful to make the team and meaningful to play on the team.
That’s the message Frank Humber wants prospects for this year’s edition of the Corner Brook Barons to wrap their heads around if they want to suit up with the provincial senior baseball competitor on the west coast.
Humber is the new head coach for the Barons, working with Rob Myrden and Sean Mitchell, with hopes of turning the team back into a force on the provincial senior baseball scene.
Humber decided he wanted to commit his time this summer to coaching the Barons after former head coach Darren Colbourne indicated he didn’t want to return for another season.
He has spent the past number of years coaching peewee teams in the minor system and conducting pitching clinics, but now he’s focused on putting his energy into the seasoned players who have potential to crack the roster.
The Barons haven’t fared well on the provincial baseball scene for the past 15 years with the mighty St. John’s Capitals dominating the provincial senior baseball circuit with relative ease.
Humber’s approach includes implementing a player selection process to ensure he gets the best roster available to him and that includes the collection of quantitative data like how fast guys can run, how fast guys can throw, their range and ability and their defensive skills. He said this is all stuff that can be measured and it takes a fair amount of work to do it but he feels it’s important in the process of putting the best Barons team on the field.
“I hope to create an environment where guys will understand that the decisions I make will be based on the data we collect and what we see in the practices,” he said.
He expects players to attend regular practices so they receive meaningful instruction, not that they haven’t received it in the past, but it’s something he feels he can bring to the table and hopes the players make the commitment required to be a strong contender.
His plan is to have the team together as early as possible and as often as possible in an effort to have the squad as prepared as they can be for when the Barons host the provincial senior B baseball tournament July 13-15 at Jubilee Field.
“It’s got to mean something to play for the Barons. And it means something by making the team,” he said. “There has to be a certain level of commitment to want to play for the Barons,” he said.
The first open practice for the Barons is scheduled for Monday 6 p.m. at Jubilee Field.
